--- product_id: 291619546 title: "Swimming in the Dark: A Poetic Literary Debut about First Love and Political Divides" brand: "tomasz jedrowski" price: "€ 28.37" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 10 url: https://www.desertcart.hr/products/291619546-swimming-in-the-dark-a-poetic-literary-debut-about-first store_origin: HR region: Croatia --- # Swimming in the Dark: A Poetic Literary Debut about First Love and Political Divides **Brand:** tomasz jedrowski **Price:** € 28.37 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Swimming in the Dark: A Poetic Literary Debut about First Love and Political Divides by tomasz jedrowski - **How much does it cost?** € 28.37 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hr](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/291619546-swimming-in-the-dark-a-poetic-literary-debut-about-first) ## Best For - tomasz jedrowski enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted tomasz jedrowski brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Swimming in the Dark: A Novel ## Images ![Swimming in the Dark: A Poetic Literary Debut about First Love and Political Divides - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91ImWPkaOdL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars a beautiful love letter *by F***T on Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2024* A beautiful love letter of a first love, a love feared, but inexplicable and undeniable. The writing is deep, relatable and full of love. It’s a wonderful first novel and a story necessary in the lgbt line up. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed *by R***R on Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2022* Clearly, you can write a book about what I didn't remember (or paid attention to) regarding Poland in the early '80s.I liked 'Swimming in the Dark'. I didn't love it. It moved along a good clip, as I finished it in one sitting. I liked the characters but I never felt completely attached to them either. I think part of this was, Ludwik and Janus didn't seem fully attached to each other.I felt how they connected was beautiful, yet how to maintain that was tricky - for them and for the reader. Navigating a relationship in a communist government could be construed as a metaphor for the barriers to any relationship, let alone your first one.Characters develop, so that is fine. Few are stagnant, but most of them have no clear conclusion. While, that is indeed life, it can make for a frustrating read.I wasn't sure why Ludwik even wrote to Janus in the first place, or why the inclusion of short tale of Ludwik's childhood friend even was included, other than to talk about Jews in communist Europe. There is no connection later to this, but, I might be quibbling.The book is well constructed and easy to read. It held my attention, and in today's fiction, sometimes that is the best thing that can be said. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars This guy is something else! *by G***O on Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2021* As the teacher of a course that deals, in part, with the rhythm and movement of prose, I was already intrigued in the first couple of pages of this small novel by just how inviting and engaging its prose was. By its third page, I'd stopped reading to investigate who might have done such a splendid job of translating the young Polish author's original into English.Well, NOBODY did! He did it himself, right from the get-go; he wrote it in English - which just happens to be his own FIFTH language!! (Now, how does that work exactly? How can it even be the case?) The English prose is not competent, not adequate, not merely good - it's beautiful: there's not a poor or dull sentence in it anywhere - and I've read it twice.The story itself is a gut-punch, and a hard one at that. The novel has 4-5 pages of blissful happiness when two young, very poor gay guys find themselves in each other and go camping. The rest of the book is about their trying to find ways just to survive and be themselves in those last wretched years of the Soviet control of Poland. Because the story itself is so convincing and the language's rhythm and flow so engaging, there's no partial investment in this story; if you're there with them at all, you're there 100% - which makes the experience of reading it better and the realities it depicts worse. READER: be advised!I consider the book something of a minor miracle. I don't know that it's "perfect" (whatever that might mean, exactly), but it's so good that what I feel most towards it (and its author) is gratitude. Of the many good things art can do for us, reminding us that there's still more possible than we'd imagined is, for me, the best one. The author said in an interview that he'd taught himself English because, while he didn't "need" it at the time, he wanted to have it as his 'special' language, one he could escape to - and in.All I can say to that is how very glad I am that he's not keeping it for himself anymore! --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.hr/products/291619546-swimming-in-the-dark-a-poetic-literary-debut-about-first](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/291619546-swimming-in-the-dark-a-poetic-literary-debut-about-first) --- *Product available on Desertcart Croatia* *Store origin: HR* *Last updated: 2026-07-05*